


The Last Vigil

by unbroken_halo



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Don't copy to another site., F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-13
Updated: 2019-02-13
Packaged: 2019-10-27 12:59:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17767241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unbroken_halo/pseuds/unbroken_halo
Summary: Hermione waits for Harry to come home.





	The Last Vigil

**Author's Note:**

> Written Feb 2019 for the Harmony & Co group's The Harmony Shag-a-thon on FB.

Her body jumped as she walked across the floor with the ringing of the hour. The two bells resounded deep within her and made her shudder as she drew her flannel dressing-gown about her. Turning, she made her way across the small kitchen, her soft-soled house slippers not making a sound on the tiles. In a moment of frightened silliness, she vowed to get a pair of those high-heeled shoes with the fur about the toes to wear for the next time just so she could hear the comforting sound of each step, each click-clack as she waited for his return.

Hermione let go a nervous laugh then clamped a hand over her mouth before it turned into a hysterical noise and glanced up at the clock. The arms still hadn't moved from their placement and the words glared back at her.

" Mortal Peril."

Closing her eyes, she turned away from the prediction and began her circuit back through their home where they had made their life. When Harry had decided to take Kingsley's offer to enter into Auror training, it had not occurred to her the dangers involved, not really.

Inherently she knew them, she had fought right at Harry's side after all, but to be the one left behind. To be the one standing vigil at home. That position had never occurred to her. It was an entirely different experience. She'd never been, not in many years at least, the one to wring her hands in distraught feminine distress and wait for a big, strong, masculine hero to rescue her.

And yet, now she found herself here waiting, not to be rescued but waiting for him to come home, safe from harm and in one piece, And for some inexplicable reason, a fire burned in her soul at that thought. That she was some horribly lame Victorian or even Regency novel woman, waiting for her handsome, roguish cad to come home to her for a bit of the all right, floated across her mind and all her thoughts turned incandescent with hellfire rage red. But one thing was perfectly clear through the haze.

He'd left her, here alone to chase after adventure and it was going to get him killed.

"Why?" the word bubbled up from her lips unexpectedly. The sound startled her in the silent and darkened house. Hermione jumped at the sound of her own voice and gave another one of those startled, nervous giggles. 

She ran a hand through her tangled curls, tugging at the wild mess of hair before giving a frustrated shout and winding the entire mess up into a sloppy and loose bun on top of her head. It flopped with each angry step she took and that pissed her off even more as she made her way into the parlour.

"Dammit! Why! Harry James!"

"Why, what Hermione Jean?"

Startled, Hermione let out a scream and whirled around, her wand trained on the intruding voice.

There in all his glory was her husband, Harry James Potter, and she stared at him. His Auror uniform, the dull maroon colour with its brown shielding belts at the critical points of his body still armed and active, was dirty and wrinkled, and he looked tired as well, but he was alive.

"Harry," she breathed.

He smiled at her and she nearly sagged in relief before she flung herself at him. His arms wrapped about her and held her tightly. As she breathed in the scent of him, she smelled another odour as well and looked up at him.

"I'm fine."

"I know that scent, Harry."

"I'm fine."

"What have you been doing?"

"There was a raid tonight, one of the last strongholds and there was heavy spellfire on both sides..."

She never even heard him mutter the spell to lighten her weight or the one to close and lock the front door as he carried her into the house. All she could see, all she could smell was just him and the aroma of the darkest magics: The Unforgivables. As she ran her hands over his shoulders, she noticed the pockmarks in the fabric of his robes, sure signs those certain spells had slipped past his defences.

Sliding down his body, Hermione looked at him. "Tell me, tell right now Harry."

Harry smiled at her and nodded, gesturing toward their bedroom. "Can I shower, please? I'd like to wash the ozone of the spells off, please. You know I don't like to bring the taint of those spells into the house."

Hermione nodded and grabbed his arm, all but dragged him through the rest of the house to their small ensuite. Her wand was in her hand and in seconds, his belts were on the floor, his robes yawned open as she glided her wand over his skin, healing spellings flying over minor bruises and scrapes inflicted during the skirmish.

Harry talked and he let her fuss and bitch under her breath as she puttered around him. He watched her, carefully removing bits of her wardrobe from her person as well until she was just as naked as he while she tended to him.

A quick flick of his wand and the shower spray was going, charmed to keep warm as steam filled the room. Next, Harry summoned his favourite bath soaps, large fluffy towels and washcloths, extra potions, and Hermione's special hair tonics just before one of her spells jabbed him in a particularly sensitive area.

"Ouch, Hermione! Easy there, that's tender!"

She turned and glared up at him. "Well, if you wouldn't go off trying to get yourself killed Harry Potter, then I wouldn't have to ..." she trailed off then burst into tears, covering her face and she turned away.

"Oh, love," Harry wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. Hermione turned and snagged his middle, holding him tightly as she sobbed.

Harry listened again as she vented out her feelings and rubbed her back, making out a few words in between tears like 'curses' and 'scared' and 'mortal peril'.

Tilting her face up, Harry wiped away her tears and gently kissed her lips. "Never again."

"What?"

"I don't have to go off on any more excursions. I took Kingsley's offer. I accepted the Head position and I start next week."

Hermione continued to look up at Harry, blinking at him in mild incomprehension until Harry chuckled.

"I took the desk job, Hermione. After a week's furlough, I'll be going with you to work and coming home with you in the evenings. No more late nights, no more stakeouts, no more secret missions and no more raids." He grinned at her. "Promise."

Her eyes widened as the words sunk in and she repeated his last. "Promise?"

"I promise."

Hermione arched up on her toes and pressed her mouth to Harry's. He hummed and pulled her up against his body, smiling against her mouth as she wrapped her legs around his waist. He carefully walked them over to the shower and tub, and stepped in, closing the curtain behind them. Turning, he let the spray wash over his side, where he'd take the most hits from the spells as he continued to kiss Hermione. He felt her hands run along his body with the water, delicate fingers tracing his skin as she helped remove all traces of the dark magic.

She wriggled out of his arms and stood in front of him, reaching behind him for the flannel. With a wicked grin, she lathered the cloth with soap and he watched, waited, with a smile. 

Harry stepped back into the shower spray, eyes still on Hermione, and wet down his entire body, the water sliding off his glasses and their Impervious-charmed frames until Hermione reached up and plucked them from his face.

"Hey!"

Laughing, she dropped them just outside curtain onto the waiting towels and returned her attention to Harry. "Hush you." Then she covered his face with the washcloth.

Harry sputtered under the soapy onslaught as she scrubbed his face then he turned and rinsed away the suds. He grabbed her and stole a kiss before she could inflict any more tortures.

Turning them, Harry ducked her under the spray, holding her tightly to make certain she was completely and thoroughly soaked before letting her go.

"Cease and desist!" Hermione cried and laughed as she wiped the water from her face, slinging the now wet and falling bun of hair over a shoulder. "Let's get you cleaned up and you can tell me about this new position."

"I have a new position for you, " Harry leered.

"You are awful," Hermione stated and placed the washcloth to his chest, pressed Harry back against the tiles. She leaned on him and he relaxed to her pressure with a chuckle. She scrubbed him with an idle hand, tracing along his various scars as she smiled up at him.

"You like it," Harry teased her and reached out to play with a loose strand of hair that was springing up into a tight curl.

"I like the idea of you being safe."

Harry nodded and pulled her close, trapping her hand between them and tilted her face up, closing his mouth over hers once again. The flannel dropped to the floor, forgotten, and Harry picked her up and held her close.

The water beat against them as Harry kissed her, held her tightly against him. Carefully turning around, Harry placed her up against the wall and eased back to look at her. "I meant what I said. No more."

Hermione nodded. "I'll hold you to it."

Harry leaned in, softly kissed her mouth, and then leaned to the side and allowed the spray to wash away what soap had transferred to her from his chest. He trailed his lips over her face and down to her chin, nipping her lips once more before continuing down to her throat. He bent his head, first taking in the right breast and biting gently on the peaked tip. 

Hermione arched in his arms, her hands coming up and fisting her fingers in his hair as she held on to him. She only loosened her hold long enough to let him switch sides when the suction became a painful tingling.

Harry made his way down Hermione's body, licking and suckling each and every inch of her skin. He dipped his tongue into her navel and nibbled on the rim of the tiny hole. He pressed a kiss to the top of her mons and then slung one leg over his shoulder, helping to steady her before looking up at her as he leaned in and kissed her centre.

Hermione gave small sounds of protest as she lost touch with Harry's body when he bent down in the shower. She quickly found purchase with her fingers in his hair though once his tongue licked across her clitoris. She pulled none-too-gently on the dark strands as he suckled. Rocking her hips into his face, she held on to him and whined when he moved away from her. 

Opening her eyes when he stood, Hermione reached out and grasped Harry's prick, pulling him closer by the generous length and stroked him. He pressed up against her and kissed her, sharing the taste of herself with his tongue.

Harry rocked into each pull of her fist as the Ever-warm Charmed shower water beat against his back, the heat of Hermione's body in front of him. Wincing when the skin on skin became too much, he fumbled a hand along the edge of the shower stall, looking for one of the bottles he'd Summoned earlier and finally found it. Opening the top and pouring out a goodly amount over Hermione's hand, eased some of the building friction.

Hermione laughed and pushed on his chest with her other hand and Harry backed way long enough to lift Hermione up into position. She slipped down on his cock with a sigh and he braced her against the wall before thrusting forward.

Wrapping her arms around his neck, Hermione hung on to Harry then slanted her mouth across his as he brought them to a slow finish. She rode each slide, working in tandem with him, moving in time with each lunge forward.

She sighed out her climax as Harry shuddered through his moments later. The water still spraying over them just as warm and cleansing as it had been when they started. Harry took them down to the floor gently. 

Adjusting their positions, Hermione rinsed away the afters of sex and repositioned herself in Harry's lap. She switched out the spray for the faucet and began to fill the bath with water and potions to ease any aches Harry would feel later.

Leaning her head back, she sighed and offered her mouth to Harry. He obliged her with a soft kiss and rested his forehead against hers.

"I'm glad you finally made the decision, Harry."

Harry leaned back against the tub wall, settled Hermione against his chest and sighed. "So am I."

The End


End file.
